Sun Belt announces 2022 Baseball Preseason Honors

Published 2:58 pm Thursday, February 10, 2022

Coastal Carolina junior shortstop Eric Brown and South Alabama senior starting pitcher Miles Smith headlined the conference’s 2022 preseason honors as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player and Pitcher of the Year. A vote of the conference’s 12 head coaches determined the Preseason Player of the Year, Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.

Brown was an All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree in 2021, after starting 50 games at shortstop for the Chanticleers. The Bossier City, La., product hit .294 with 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs, 42 runs scored and 38 RBIs a season ago.

Smith was the Most Outstanding Player of the Sun Belt Baseball Championship in 2021, after pitching the final 7.2 innings and earning the win in the tournament finale for the Jaguars on short rest. The Laurel, Miss., native compiled a 1.88 ERA over 76.2 innings pitched, while striking out 71 and allowing just 61 hits during his junior campaign. Smith went 6-1 with two saves in 2021.

The Sun Belt also announced the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team Thursday. Georgia Southern paced all Sun Belt programs with three preseason honorees, while App State, Georgia State and Troy also had multiple players selected.

Sun Belt teams return to the diamond beginning on Friday, Feb. 18, with conference play commencing on Friday, March 18. Teams will play a 30-game conference schedule that will culminate with the 2022 Sun Belt Baseball Championship at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala., from May 24-29, 2022.

2022 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Eric Brown, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SS – Bossier City, La.)

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Miles Smith, South Alabama (Sr., SP – Laurel, Miss.)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Miles Smith, South Alabama (Sr., SP – Laurel, Miss.)
Hayden Arnold, Little Rock (Sr., SP – Rison, Ark.)
Tyler Tuthill, App State (Jr., SP – Clayton, N.C.)
Brandon Talley, Louisiana (Sr., RP – Princeton, Texas)
Caleb Bartolero, Troy (Jr., C – Woodstock, Ga.)
Jason Swan, Georgia Southern (Sr., 1B – Jacksonville, Fla.)
Luke Drumheller, App State (Jr., 2B – Charlotte, N.C.)
Eric Brown, Coastal Carolina (Jr., SS – Bossier City, La.)
Ben Klutts, Arkansas State (Sr., 3B – Poteau, Okla.)
Christian Avant, Georgia Southern (Sr., OF – Tifton, Ga.)
Josh Smith, Georgia State (Jr., OF – College Park, Ga.)
Rigsby Mosley, Troy (Sr., OF – Maitland, Fla.)
Cameron Jones, Georgia State (So., UT – Kathleen, Ga.)
Noah Ledford, Georgia Southern (Jr., DH – Buford, Ga.)

Follow #SunBeltBB on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 – www.SunBeltSports.org –